Teen gets state prison for burglary in Albion
ALBION – An Albion teen who was part of a burglary at a village home last summer was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in state prison today.
Orleans County Court Judge James Punch granted youthful offender for the 18-year-old, meaning his record is sealed and his name shouldn’t be disclosed publicly.
The teen admitted in court in May he entered a house on West Park Street without permission, caused damage in the house and stole from the owner on Aug. 18.
As part of sentencing today, the teen was ordered to pay $3,262 in restitution to the homeowner and insurance company.
The teen faced a charge of second-degree burglary, which carries a maximum of 15 years in state prison. But in a plea agreement in May, he pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree burglary which carries a maximum of 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison with youthful offender status.
The teen’s attorney, Michael O’Keefe, asked for a sentence of Probation. He said the teen “has every intention of paying back” the restitution.
The teen apologized to the victims and for his “bad choices.”
Another defendant in the case was already sentenced to six months in jail.
The family that was victimized by the crime wrote compelling letters about how the crime traumatized the household, which includes young children, District Attorney Joe Cardone said.
Judge Punch said the crime warranted state prison.
“You violated the sanctity of the victims’ home,” the judge said, calling the damage “wanton destruction.”
In other cases in court today:
A Medina woman was sentenced to weekends in jail over the next 60 days.
Amanda L. Major, 24, admitted in a previous court appearance she had cocaine with the intent to sell it at her residence on Starr Street in Medina on Jan. 14. She pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, a charge that carries a maximum of 2 ½ years in state prison.
Major is a first-time offender. She has a full-time job and is in treatment at the Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.
“She has made significant changes in her life,” O’Keefe, her attorney, said at sentencing.
Major will also be on Probation for five years.
“I don’t want to see you wind up in prison,” Punch told her. “You’re pretty close to being there right now.”
An Albion man pleaded guilty to felony driving while intoxicated and faces a maximum of 1 to 3 years in state prison as part of a plea deal.
Jeremy Smith, 30, of Lydun Drive admitted in court to DWI and driving without a license on Jan. 19, 2015, when he was in an accident while driving. He said he had been drinking beer before the accident.
Without the plea, he could have faced a maximum of 4 years in prison for the DWI.
Smith has a prior felony DWI in 2006 and a prior misdemeanor DWI in 2002.
He will be sentenced on Oct. 5.
